Only ‘yes Bwanas’ are allowed to coach Malawi Flames

Who was in charge of Malawi’s Flames when the team travelled to Namibia? Was coach Eddingtone Ng’onamo with the team during that game? Is it not Patrick Mabedi and Ernest Mtawali who were in charge? The team won the game.

Do you know why the two guys helped Flames beat Namibia at their own backyard? They wanted to show Football Association of Malawi (FAM) that they have the guts.

Back from there they folded hands and handed over the team in Ng’onamo’s hands. Assistants they concentrated on their job helping the coach. No further than that.

The result, draws left right and centre.

Mabedi (L) and Mtawali

On the Mozambique game, Mabedi and Mtawali were communicated from Fam that one of them would be sacked. So they were disturbed. They stayed a little distance away from the team.

The result, Ng’onamo’s boys were mercilessly massacred by Mozambique in full view of Independence celebrations. Hokoyo!

What punishment should we give this Fam?

To get a job of coaching Malawi national team Flames it depends on how good you shout yes bwana to our Fam.

When interviews are conducted to find a coach the person whose yes Bwana sounds louder gets the job.

This happens regardless whether that person truly knows how many goal posts a football ground is supposed to have. To Malawi FA that doesn’t matter at all. All that matters is your quality of a yes bwana type.

Mtawali has been sacked. It could be that his yes bwana was not strong enough!

Nanga tinene kuti chiyani(What else can we say).

The word observation has one scientific definition being able to identity and recall a situation accurately and more distinctly. It could be incidental and or positive. In analysis sense it calls for getting a complete picture of the whole scenario, work it out in circles or straight lines, concentrate on isolated graphics of the integrated situation, measure each part and how they all fit into one big circumstance etc.

That is called sound judgment.

In my sound judgment, Fam’s hiring of the foreign coach much as it sounds succulent, lacks basis. And I call it witchcraft.

If you go through their statement by Chief Executive Sugzo Nyirenda you get an impression that the coach Tom Saintfiet was instigated by former coach Kinnah Phiri when they say the two were in touch for a long time. It finally vindicates the call from many Malawians for the firing of Kinnah that he had lost the beep of coaching national team during the time he put up a string of losses.

It shows Malawians were right.

How the hell can I assist someone apply for my job. Or how can I facilitate another person to grab my job. That’s what Kinnah Phiri seems to have done unfortunately. When did Kinnah Phiri become Fam coach agent?

Fam has acknowledged people’s cries against the firing of Mtawali where it says the legendary midfielder was instead sent to coaching courses and would be re-engaged possibly in future. Allow me to take on this one.

What was Ernest Mtawali’s role in Flames? Was he not assistant coach? Did he perform on that role or not?

If Fam says, the trio was given three games contract, it is to say the trio works as a set. Or that they have been working as a set elsewhere. But the truth is the three never worked together before. This was the first time. And this set was mobilized by Fam itself .

Meaning to see each one’s contribution to the team, an analysis of each image must be done separately. That is why I opened my view point with the question who took the team to Namibia.

A comparison with who was in charge of the team during the recent Mozambique game?

So what was Ng’onamo’s role in Flames? Was he not the coach? Did he perform on that role or not?

Let me put this way. Truth is truth. Bluntly speaking Mabedi and Mtawali are not coaches. They are not qualified, they have no experience, no exposure on national team coaching.

But the two guys and a few others played soccer at the highest level by Malawi standards.

This was their first time to be members of the national team coaching panel. How do we summarize it. I give them excellent grade.

Coming from Kinnah’s situation, didn’t the two make a difference? They did.

Ng’onamo is a coach. Very qualified. He has been with the national team several times. If fairness is applied Ngonamo cannot even stand same level with John Kaputa or Yasin Osman. He is not that good.

He lacks, zeal, command of the game and the players, he cajoles without confidence, his resourcefulness and creativity not up-to-date too. He is a good yes bwana Marara type! He is not good even to be assistant coach in any serious formation of a technical team.

Learning from world coaches such as Jose Mourihno winning a game is not the entire pedagogic of teaching the players aeiou. It is your last word as a coach.

Fam says Ngonamo conceded after the two home games that the team lacked depth. Where did the team lacked depth? The players, the coaches or what?

Fam says Ngonamo conceded the technical panel needed some strengthening. Does that happen with a good coach?

From my long experience doesn’t a good coach just resigns when he fails? Why should our dear coach be allowed to appoint his own mentor while coaching the team? Kukanakhala kusukulu tikanati kumeneko kuwonela mayeso (exam cheating).

By taking up the position of a coach, he assured us he had the guts to take on the boys. Isn’t it surprising that he could then turn around and support a move to have a mentor by his side?

Fam says it has not fired anyone but just restructured them. It is to say the three have no soul and mind. Their freedoms were freezed the day they accepted to coach the team. Where does the soccer body get the energy to toy the coaches around?

Fam says the recent Flames results were satisfactory but not significant. What kind of language is that? Is it not supposed to be the reverse to say the results were significant but not satisfying?

If we say the results of the games were not significant are we not being contradictory. Fam says they want the white man to take the team to World cup.

Where do they base this dream, is it not on the same insignificant results?

If Fam did not want to lose anything in the world cup games, why did they take the risk of recruiting amateurs Mabedi and Mtawali in the first place?

Why didn’t they recruit the foreign coach during that time? They are saying at the time they recruited the caretaker coaches Sainfiet was knocking on their door with a free offer.

What if the trio messed up all the games could they have been talking about recruiting a white man for World Cup today?

I personally have no issues with Tom Saintfiet. He could be a good coach. I even support that Fam should consider discussing with him a long term plan together.

But I don’t support his Nigeria tantrums because that’s blackmail. If he says he frustrated Nigeria’s chances to Afcon while coaching Ethiopia, doesn’t he realize the super eagles know him by now? How does he think he can do it twice to them?

If he is such a good betrayer how safe are we in future, shall our discussions fail through?

Allow me to highlight to Fam that what lacks most in our team is not skills. But confidence of the players. In the absence of facilities such as grassroots soccer academies the presence of legendary players such as Mabedi, Maduka or Mtawali could make a difference. It conceives a rare aura of a complete soccer environment needed for adaptation.

Our players need to have assistants who play good role models. If Ngonamo loses at home, with how many goals would he lose if he takes the team on away games alone?

Bring back Mtawali, take out Ng’onamo.

During his play days Mtawali was a crowd puller. People were happy just watching his wizardly skills. Malawi was being honored. At Mamelode Sundowns Mtawali scooped several player of the year awards a feat no any other player has ever done. At Orlando Pirates he was the captain. Even now stadiums were getting full just to watch their legends on the coaching bench.

So when Malawians are crying for this guy, they are right.

However, I must congratulate Fam for the player allowance structure. It is excellent. Only if they live by their words-beautiful line up. Our players should be encouraged to understand that to get too much money they must aim English Premier League in their soccer career. The sky is the limit. But if they aim to conclude their career with Super League of Malawi, they will remain where they started off.